NHS hearing aid services vary unacceptably in quality, MPs say

Half a million people in England are waiting for a hearing aid, and some have waited for more than two years, says a parliamentary report published last week.

The report, Audiology Services, from the House of Commons Health Committee, a cross party group that examines health policy and administration, found long waiting times for people to be assessed and fitted for hearing aids. There was also great variation in waiting times. Some NHS trusts had no waiting list, and others had waiting times of more than two years. One MP reported that the average wait “for fitting of hearing aids” was 41 weeks for first time patients and 64 weeks for patients awaiting reassessment. Overall, the committee found a lack of data being …